Alongside World Sailing Commission, Working Party, Committee and Council meetings, the conference will host the inaugural eSailing World Championship Final, the World Sailing Awards and two open Forums hosted by sailing broadcasters, Alec Wilkinson and Hannah White.

The eSailing World Championship will be held in front of a live crowd from 13:00 to 15:00 on 30 October at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. The top four ranked women and top four men from the Play Off Round of the Championship will be invited on a full expenses paid trip to compete against the best eSailors in the world.

Later on that day, the venue will be transformed to host the World Sailing Awards. Alongside the prestigious awarding of the male and female Rolex World Sailors of the Year, the Beppe Croce Trophy and the President's Development Award will be presented.

Joining the list of accolades in 2018 will be a Sustainability Award, Team of the Year Award and Boat of the Year Award.

Across the last two conferences World Sailing has hosted open forums at the beginning of the week with expert keynote speakers discussing items such as commercialism of the sport, sustainability, Para World Sailing and women in sport.

The technical side of the sport will be discussed in 2018 with two new forums added to the agenda. A Safety in Sailing Forum will be held on Monday 29 October from 14:30 to 18:00 with a Future of Offshore & Keelboat Racing Forum following on Tuesday 30 October from 09:00 to 12:00.

Delegates attending will need to check visa requirements with their consulate.

For further information on the 2018 Annual Conference such as venue, travel, scheduling, visa information and more, click here.

Sarasota lies on the western coast of Florida, along the Gulf of Mexico. It is 60 miles from Tampa and 130 miles from Orlando, home of the Walt Disney World theme-park.

In addition to its world-renowned beaches, Sarasota is known for a vibrant arts culture. The bayfront downtown area features a multitude of visual and performing artist colonies.